As an economist by ‘professional’ I dread ‘foreign’ imports menace
Amazing, this one! If we’re to assume that the author of floor numbering is capable of uttering what he has written after 1st (pronounced “FEST”), now what do you think he thereafter pronounce the floor numbers that follow? Secondst, Thirdst and Fourst? Your guess, reader, is as good as ours. Of course, we can say in certainty, the owner of the multi-storey structure commissioned the signwriting artist to pen down 2nd (to be read as SECOND); 3rd (to be read as THIRD) and 4th (to be read as FOURTH). Trust signwriters! PHOTO | COURTESY
It’s a pity that some of us in the media consider the use of English essential even when working for a Kiswahili outlet. Journos in radio and television are most notorious in this score, especially those who handle sports.
Some go as far as uttering full sentences in English. That, when they clearly know that in Bongo, sports, especially football, is the most loved source of entertainment for our people, most of them very ordinary wananchi who don’t know English at all!
It’s certain some of us harbour the notion that injecting a word of English here and there makes one sound more educated. It’s one way to impress. Wrong! Actually, many broadcasters with such squinted mind-sets end up depressing their audiences instead of impressing anyone!
The other day, a broadcaster was heard by this columnist bragging during a popular morning programme: “Mimi pia ni HR by PROFESSIONAL.” Hopeless, isn’t it? We’d have partially tolerated her if she said, “Mimi pia ni HR by PROFESSION,” or, “Mimi ni HR professional.”
Or, why didn’t she brag in pure Kiswahili: “Mimi pia ni MWANA RASLIMALI-WATU KITAALUMA.” So beautiful!
Having thus lectured (bah!) we’ll now proceed doing what this column is principally all about, i.e. dishing out linguistic gems collected from Bongo’s English dailies. So, here we go…
Page 3 of Bongo’s huge and colourful broadsheet of Friday, April 3, has a story entitled, ‘Geological crisis in Same as ground fissures displace Chome households.’ For his intro, the scribbler writes: “A sense of profound anxiety has settled (sic!) over Marieni Village in the Chome Ward, Same District in Kilimanjaro Region, as the earth beneath the COMMUNITY has begun to split.”
Hang on! The Oxford Dictionary defines “community” as the PEOPLE who live in a particular area, country, etc.
It can’t be apt to say the earth beneath the people, can it? The earth which is dangerously splitting is that of Chome Ward, not that which is beneath (meaning ‘under’) the residents of Chome!
Here’s our partial rewrite: “…the earth beneath the AREA has begun to split.”
In Para 4, the scribbler explains further the consequences of the geological crises that’s befalling Same people in the wake of the natural calamity: “The physical destruction has forced several families to abandon their LIFETIME SAVINGS and seek refuge with neighbours as widening cracks render permanent structures increasingly uninhabitable.”
Abandon lifetime savings and move to stay with neighbours? No way! What our devastated compatriots in the land of the Waasu (not Wapare, please!) have been forced to abandon are their homesteads, not lifetime savings!
Why, “lifetime savings,” says our Oxford Dictionary, “refers to the total accumulated MONEY a person has saved typically over a long period for future security, retirement or major expenses.”
Then, also from the huge broadsheet, is a gem obtained in a Page 6 story with the headline, ‘Local paper manufactures call for urgent trade policy review.’
Therein, the scribbler reports in attribution to what Mr CY, a manager with a local paper manufacturing firm, lamenting about imported, cheaper paper products.
“He argued that the exemption places local producers at a disadvantage by creating an uneven playing field against FOREIGN imports.”
Hello! Imports are foreign by their very nature. So, our colleague should’ve just written: “…uneven playing field against IMPORTS.” Or, against foreign PAPER PRODUCTS.
Finally, something monotonous from Bongo’s senior-most broadsheet of Saturday, April 4, which we found on Page 2. In a story entitled ‘OTR reviews public institutions’ plans to align with Vision 2050,’ the scribbler says in Para 2: “The OTR Assistant Director, Mr JM, said the exercise has brought together 50 STAFF…”
What? Our colleague ought to have said, “…has brought together 50 staff MEMBERS…” Or, 50 employees.
